A. Monitoring the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

The table below was devised following a decision at the 5th Compendium Authors meeting held in Budapest, Spring 2006, to begin monitoring the UNESCO Convention among Compendium countries, going beyond the information published on the relevant UNESCO website.

Information responding to the following questions is updated on a regular basis:

Which countries have ratified the Convention?

Who is responsible for its implementation?

Are there civil society organisations involved in the process?

Country

Ratification/Accession* by National Governmentsor Parliaments

Deposit* at UNESCO

Main MinistryResponsible forImplementation

Member of the Intergov. Committee**

Other Active Bodies (e.g. NGO's; national Coalitions for Diversity)

Important Debates, Studies andPolitical Action regarding theImplementation of the Convention

Albania

24 September 2006

17 November 2006

Ministry of Tourism and Culture

2009-2013

--

--

Armenia

N/A

27 February 2007

Ministry of Culture

--

--

--

Austria

8 August 2006

18 December 2006

Austrian Federal Chancellery

Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture

Ministry for Foreign Affairs

2007-2009

Austrian Commission for UNESCO:

Working Group "Cultural Diversity" established in 2004, followed, in March 2010, by a National Cultural Diversity Contact Point.

Publication of a brochure focussing on economic implications of the Convention ("Culture for Sale?")

Publication "Fragments from the Future. The Impact of cultural diversity and globalization on policies for culture" - collection of articles from BG and foreign authors

Canada

23 November 2005***

25 November 2005

Department of Canadian Heritage

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

2007 - 2013(Committee held its first session in December 2007 in Ottawa)

Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity

The Canadian Commission for UNESCO

International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity(Headquarters in Canada)

The Department of Canadian Heritage is working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, with the provinces and territories, and with Canada's arts and cultural community to play an active role in the implementation of the Convention. It also continues to advocate for the widespread ratification of the Convention as this will strengthen its effectiveness.

Croatia

Ratified by the Croatian Parliament on 12 May 2006(being the first European parliament to do so)

31 August 2006

Ministry of Culture

2007-2011

Croatian membership in INCD and contacts with professionals in the CCD.

National Commission for UNESCO.

In 2006, Culturelink published a book on the UNESCO Convention: ("Making it Work").

In 2009, Culturelink/IMO team prepared a paper on Article 19 based on Culturelink Network's Twenty Years of Experience

Every year Croatian Commission for UNESCO and Ministry of Culture mark the international "Day of Cultural Diversity" with a number of events.

Cyprus

19 December 2006

19 December 2006

--

--

--

--

Czech Republic

12 August 2010

Ministry of Culture

--

--

The Ministry is working on the implementation of the Convention

Denmark

18 December 2006

18 December 2006

Ministry of Culture

--

National Commission for UNESCO

On 10 January 2007, the Ministry of Culture organised a first meeting of members of the Cultural Committee of the Parliament (Folketingets Kulturudvalg) and representatives from the culture sector to discuss the implications of the convention. It was decided to organise follow- up meetings every year with the purpose to discuss experiences and challenges and to consult the cultural sector on initiatives taken by the Ministry in order to meet its requirements under the Convention.

Estonia

23 November 2006

18 December 2006

Ministry of Culture

--

Estonian National UNESCO Commission

An Estonian translation of the Convention has been prepared. The Convention is implemented and monitored by the Cultural Heritage Department of the Tallinn City Government.

Finland

29 June 2006

18 December 2006

Ministry of Education and Culture

2007-2009

Finnish National Commission for UNESCO

No decision yet on who is responsible for implementing the information and monitoring functions stipulated in Article 9 of the Convention

Ministry responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the Convention

Holy See

--

--

--

--

Pontifical Council for Culture (PCC)

While not a Member State of UNESCO, the PCC sees a responsibility for "the Catholic Church's global pastoral adoption and implementation" of the Convention.

Hungary

25 February 2008

9 May 2008

Ministry of Education and Culture

--

Coalition hongroise pour la diversité culturelle

The UNESCO Convention is not yet a key issue among key actors including the administration, civil society or culture professionals.

Iceland

--

1 February 2007

--

--

--

--

Ireland

19 December 2006

22 December 2006

Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

--

Irish Coalition for Cultural Diversity

At the moment, there is no debate about the Convention, its articles or how it will be implemented in practice.

Italy

Internal ratification process by the Senate was finalised on Nov 14, 2006 and ratified by the Parliament on 31 January 2007

19 February 2007

Ministry for Heritage and Cultural Activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (first report on the implementation of the Convention in Italy to be available at the end of 2012)

--

Commissione Italiana Nazionale per l'UNESCO

Coalizione Italiana per la Diversità Culturale

Since ratification, several conferences and seminars have been organised by the Ministry for Heritage and/or the Italian Coalition for Cultural Diversity, with a view to promoting and discussing the Convention's contents. A special issue of the journal "Economia della cultura" on the Convention, jointly edited by the Italian Association for Cultural Economics and the Italian Coalition for Cultural Diversity was published.

Latvia

June 2007

6 July 2007

Ministry of Culture

--

National Commission for UNESCO

Public discussions

Liechtenstein

--

--

--

--

--

Liechtenstein's government policy does not foresee a membership in UNESCO, at the present time

Lithuania

14 December 2006

18 December 2006

Ministry of Culture

2007-2011

--

--

Luxembourg

18 December 2006

18 December 2006

--

2007 - 2011

--

--

FYR of Macedonia

22 May 2007

22 May 2007

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture

--

National Commission for UNESCO (depends on the field of interest)

The 2nd World Conference on Inter-Religious and Inter-Civilisation Dialogue, Religions and Cultures - Strengthening Links among Nations, was held from 6-8 May 2010 in Ohrid

Malta

5 December 2006

18 December 2006

Ministry for Tourism and Culture and Ministry for Education, sometimes also the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs

--

--

Discussions are being held between the responsible ministries to set up a National Observatory on cultural diversity as well as a National Coalition to support the implementation of the Convention as proposed by the German Commission for UNESCO and the U40 working group it has set up for this purpose. However no time-frame has been set.

Moldova

5 October 2006

5 October 2006

Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education and the State Department for Inter-Ethnic Relations

--

Moldovan National Commission for UNESCO. Several ngos on human rights and minority issues.

Some of the most important centres and associations for human rights and minority issues are involved in the implementation and monitoring of the Convention (seminars, other information events, etc.)

Monaco

28 March 2007

31 July 2006

Government (Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs)

--

National Commission for UNESCO

--

Montenegro

24 June 2008

24 June 2008

--

--

--

--

The Netherlands

September 2009

9 October 2009

Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

--

Dutch National Commission for UNESCO

There is no National Coalition in the Netherlands

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science commissioned the Netherlands National Commission for UNESCO to undertake a study of the possible implications of ratification on Dutch legislation. This study was realised in cooperation with a group of experts. In depth interviews were conducted with key actors operating in both subsidised and private institutions. ****

Norway

17 January 2007

17 January 2007

Ministry of Culture

--

--

Active role of universities or research bodies in the debate of cultural rights and diversity issues

Poland

17 August 2007

17 August 2007

Ministry of Culture and National Heritage

--

Polish Committee for UNESCO, "Coalition" has not yet been set up

Work related to the implementation of the Convention is in progress

Portugal

11 January 2007

16 March 2007

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

--

Portuguese Commission for UNESCO

Work related to the implementation of the Convention is in progress.

Romania

20 June 2006

18 December 2006

Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

--

National Committee for UNESCO

--

Russia

--

--

Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Connectivity and Mass Communication

--

--

The Ministry of Culture is preparing a ratification of the Convention

San Marino

--

--

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Political Affairs and Economic Planning and the Ministry of Education and Culture

--

National Committee for UNESCO

In 2006 the Government decided to adopt the Convention. Currently, the Ministries concerned are working on the ratification of this Convention., after carrying out an analysis with the competent bodies

Serbia

29 May 2009

2 July 2009

Ministry of Culture, Office for Ethnic Minorities

--

--

The State Secretary for Legal Affairs made some critical comments prior to ratification.

A working group for the implementation of the Convention has been set up.

Slovakia

12 December 2006

12 December 2006

Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

--

National Coalition for Cultural Diversity (October 2012: Host of the III. Congress of the Int. Federation of Coalitions for Cult. Diversity - IFCCD)

Creation of a working group to promote the Convention and develop activities regarding its implementation.

In 2009, eight groups of experts representing different sectors of cultural life (music, cinema, visual arts and heritage preservation, literature, dance and theatre, education, media and international cooperation) drew up proposals for a Swiss cultural diversity policy in order to promote the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on diversity of cultural expressions. The final report was presented on Friday the 16th of October, 2009.

Source: Council of Europe/ERICarts, Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 2017.

Notes:

* In accordance with its Article 29, the Convention has entered into force on 18 March 2007, three months after the date of deposit of the 30th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with respect to those States or regional economic integration organisations that have deposited their respective instruments on or before that date. With respect to any other Party, it enters into force three months after the deposit of their instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. Ratification by national governments which are members of the EU will be part of the EU deposition of the relevant instruments to UNESCO HQs.

** Intergovernmental Committee to promote and monitor the objectives of the Convention (set up by UNESCO in 2007)

*** The Convention was rapidly ratified by Canada in November 2005, in part due to the fact that they did not have to go through a Parliamentary process in order to adopt the Convention. A simple decision was taken by the cabinet. However, the Canadian province of Québec, through its National Assembly, did decide to ratify the Convention on 10 November 2005.

****A set of 12 closed questions posed in the context of the study commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science dealt, inter alia, with international trade relations; the "monopoly position of multinationals"; opportunities for cultural initiatives; "intrinsic cultural values" that cannot be expressed in money; implications for cultural policies; "free market" issues; different strategies to safeguard "cultural diversity"; co-existence between public cultural institutions and commercial market forces.